All-Star panel discussion featuring Will Forte and other Acalanes alumni

1200 Pleasant Hill Road,Lafayette CA 94549

13 May, 2023

Description

High school was an adventure. Now, more than 30 years later, a group of distinguished Acalanes alums are going to reflect on that adventure. The format will be a panel discussion, moderated by Matt Rees '86 – a former White House speechwriter for President George W. Bush, but a defeated candidate for Acalanes senior class president! Here are the panelists: Will Forte '88: Will has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies over the past 25 years, including the Oscar-nominated film “Nebraska,” and the cult classic "MacGruber," as well as “Saturday Night Live,” where he was a cast member from 2002-2012. A Blueprint profile of Forte published in 1987 labeled him “the Dr. Pepper of Acalanes,” though the article never explained precisely what that designation meant. Liz Heldens '87: "I feel like I lived on the fringes at Acalanes but maybe that's just how I remember it. Since around 2000 I have been a television writer and worked on a bunch of shows including Friday Night Lights and the Dropout. I have a created a handful of shows, most recently The Big Leap for Fox and Will Trent for ABC. I love my job. I am married with two spectacular children." Karen Kirschner Johnson '86: Karen had a challenging – and rebellious – four years while at Acalanes. Socially isolated, and mostly left to her own by her divorced parents, she gravitated to smokers’ corner, where she discovered a tight-knit group of friends – some of whom were like big brothers – among other self-identified “stoners.” Her Acalanes experience gave her the courage to forge her own path and in 2004 she and her husband purchased Lafayette’s iconic Roundup Saloon, which they currently own and operate. Scott Talan '80: Scott was rambunctious student at Acalanes, and one teacher told him he had "wasted potential." But Scott found a love of politics and government in Dick Dobbins' class and by the age of 30 he was Mayor of Lafayette. He later transitioned into the TV news industry and then entered academia. He is now a professor at American University in Washington, DC. The wide-ranging discussion will explore each panelist’s high school experience, with some eye-opening disclosures supplemented by '80s pop culture banter. You’ll hear about: Will experimenting with drugs for the first time, during an AKLAN work weekend!Liz channeling her Acalanes experience to develop a storyline that appeared in an unforgettable “Friday Night Lights” episodeKaren running away from home with friends from Acalanes -- and the Acalanes employee who harbored themScott breaking into a classroom to pilfer an upcoming English testTo get in the mood for the event, watch a fabulous '80s retrospective video. (While the initial screen may indicate "video unavailable," click through to view it on YouTube.)